The carousel and race sleighs

Princely pleasure and Christmas present

The Thuringian State Museum possesses five rare and sumptuous sleighs from the mid 18th century. They are displayed at the front hall of the exhibition “Rococo en miniature”.

The “carousel” a princely pleasure, was a game in which a lady of the court carrying a lance tried to hit a ring or a wreath dangling on a rope between two sticks. The lady was sitting in the back of the sleigh, while the cavalier behind was guiding the horse at the direction of the goal.

The children’s sleigh was made for Prince Ludwig Friedrich II of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt (1767-1793-1807). He was given the sleigh on Christmas 1770 and used it for rides with his dog “Gil Blas”.